Actor Paul Giamatti is a graduate of the Yale Drama School how began his career on the New York stage. He has appeared on Broadway four times in productions from esteemed authors Tom Stoppard, David Hare, Anton Chekov and Eugene O’Neill but surprisingly his rise to fame would come from playing a character named “Pig Vomit” in the movie version of Howard Stern’s book “Private Parts.” Giamatti played the part of an NBC radio executive who constantly battles Stern over obscenity rules and is practically driven mad by his never-ending battles with Stern.
Surprisingly he has only earned one Oscar nomination for his film work, for his supporting role in the Ron Howard-directed boxing drama “Cinderella Man.” He was considered a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination in 2004 for his role in “Sideways” but for some odd reason that nomination didn’t materialize. While he won the SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor for “Cinderella Man,” he would lose the Oscar that year to George Clooney in “Syriana.” He would also win two SAG Awards for his television work, first in 2008 for the title role in the miniseries “John Adams” and then in 2011 as Fed chairman Ben Bernanke in “Too Big to Fail” a TV movie about the economic collapse of 2008. Giamatti ran the full run of awards for “John Adams,” with other victories at the Golden Globes and Emmys.
Take tour of our photo gallery featuring his 16 greatest film performances, ranked from worst to best. Our list includes the films mentioned above, plus “The Holdovers,” “American Splendor,” “Barney’s Version,” “Man on the Moon,” “12 Years a Slave,” “Straight Outta Compton” and more.
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16. THE ILLUSIONIST (2006)
Image Credit: Snap Stills/Shutterstock Director: Bob Yari, Neil Burger. Writers: Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Steven Millhauser, Neil Burger. Starring Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell.
Giamatti co-stars with Edward Norton in this story of a magician in Vienna during the 1800s who finds himself in trouble with the law because he performs magic tricks in which he contacts the dead. Giamatti plays the chief of police who at first strongly enforces the law against anyone doing a show where they allegedly interact with the dead. Through the course of the film he grows to realize that the illusionist is not a bad person and gains respect for him.
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15. SAVING MR. BANKS (2013)
Image Credit: Ruby/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: John Lee Hancock. Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith. Starring Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell.
This film depicts the adaptation of Mary Poppins from page to the screen. Emma Thompson stars as the crotchety writer of the books, P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney who wants to film the character. Giamatti plays the chauffer assigned to drive Thompson around on her visit to L.A. to negotiate with Disney. She is at first put off by his friendliness but he ultimately manages to form a bit of a friendship with his often-disgruntled passenger.
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14. PLANET OF THE APES (2001)
Image Credit: Sam Emerson/20th Century/Zanuck Co/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Tim Burton. Writers: William Broyles Jr., Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter.
The “Planet of the Apes” films were highly successful in the late 60s and early seventies with five films being made plus a TV series and an animated Saturday morning show. This film was the first time the franchise was resurrected. It uses a bit of the old makeup effects used in the original films and not as much of the CGI effects used in more recent ones. The plot is similar to the original in that an astronaut lands on the planet and is then befriended by a female chimpanzee but the names are different from the original. Giamatti plays an orangutan human slave trader. His is one of the more comic performances in the film and he says he based it on W.C. Fields.
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13. THE LAST STATION (2009)
Image Credit: Snap Stills/Shutterstock Director and writer: Michael Hoffman. Starring Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer.
“The Last Station” depicts the struggle over the rights to author Leo Tolstoy’s writings. Giamatti plays the leader of a group of Tolstoy’s disciples who are trying to convince him to alter his will and give the rights to them instead of to his wife. Helen Mirren earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination as Tolstoy’s wife. Christopher Plummer earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the age of 80 for playing Tolstoy. That was the first Oscar nomination of his long career. (He’d go on to win the Oscar two years later for “Beginners.”)
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12. WIN WIN (2011)
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight/Kobal/Shutterstock Director and writer: Tom McCarthy. Starring Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Tambor, Bobby Cannavale.
This film from Oscar winner Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”) casts Giamatti as a failing lawyer who also coaches a high school wrestling team. Suffering from severe financial problems Giamatti thinks he’s found a way out of the hole when he takes on an elderly client who seemingly has no living relatives. He actually does though and his grandson shows up and unwittingly throws a wrench into Giamatti’s plans to obtain the elderly man’s estate.
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11. THE IDES OF MARCH (2011)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Director: George Clooney. Writers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon. Starring Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
George Clooney directed and adapted the screenplay from a play by Beau Willimon for this film. Clooney plays the governor of Pennsylvania who is also a presidential candidate. Ryan Gosling co-stars as an idealistic young aide of Clooney’s. Clooney earned an Oscar nomination for the film in the category of Best Adapted Screenplay. Giamatti plays the campaign manager for Clooney’s presidential rival.
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10. LOVE AND MERCY (2014)
Image Credit: Roger Dufresne/River Road/Battle Mountain/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Bill Pohlad. Writers: Oren Moverman , Michael A. Lerner. Starring Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks.
“Love and Mercy” tells the story of Beach Boy Brian Wilson and his battle with substance abuse and major mental illness. The film is divided into two sections with Paul Dano playing Wilson as a young man at the height of his fame (Dano earned a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination) and then John Cusack taking over the role of Wilson to depict his later years. Giamatti plays Wilson’s doctor who controversially took over all of his finances and daily life functioning.
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9. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (2015)
Image Credit: New Line/Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: F. Gary Gray. Writers: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff. Staring Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff.
This film chronicles the formation and rise to success of the rap and hip-hop group NWA. It follows them through their formation as friends growing up in Compton, a city outside of Los Angeles which is riddled with gang activity and poverty. Giamatti plays the manager of the group who helps them facilitate their rise to success.
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8. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Director: F. Gary Gray. Writers: Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff. Staring Jonathan Herman, Andrea Berloff.
This film chronicles the formation and rise to success of the rap and hip-hop group NWA. It follows them through their formation as friends growing up in Compton, a city outside of Los Angeles which is riddled with gang activity and poverty. Giamatti plays the manager of the group who helps them facilitate their rise to success.
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7. MAN ON THE MOON (1999)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Director: Milos Forman. Writers: Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski. Starring Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love.
Andy Kaufman is probably best remembered for playing Latka Gravas on the sitcom “Taxi” which ran in the late 70’s to early 80’s. He was also a highly unique and daring stand up comic known for some pretty outlandish bits such as singing the “Mighty Mouse” theme song on SNL or getting into a brawl with a professional wrestler on David Letterman’s talk show. Tragically his life was cut short at the age of 35 by lung cancer. Jim Carrey won a Golden Globe Best Actor award for his portrayal of Kaufman. Giamatti played Kaufman’s good friend and fellow comic Bob Zmuda.
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6. PRIVATE PARTS (1997)
Image Credit: Paramount/Rysher/Kobal/Shutterstock Director: Betty Thomas. Writers: Len Blum, Michael Kalesniko. Starring Howard Stern, Mary McCormack, Robin Quivers.
Giamatti’s breakthrough role came in the film version of radio personality Howard Stern’s book “Private Parts.” Giamatti played the role of an NBC radio executive who gives Stern a hard time over his on-air antics and whom Stern has given the preposterous nickname of “Pig Vomit.” Giamatti throws himself full force into the role and Stern repeatedly lobbied for Giamatti to be nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the film on his daily radio show.
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5. BARNEY’S VERSION (2010)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Director: Richard J. Lewis. Writer: Michael Konyves. Starring Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Jake Hoffman.
Giamatti won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for this adaptation of the novel by Mordecai Richler. The win was a bit of a surprise since it was for a film with as low a profile as this one had and Giamatti was up against bigger stars such as Johnny Depp, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Kevin Spacey. The movie tells of the romantic ups and downs of a man whose many quirks make him a bit difficult to like.
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4. AMERICAN SPLENDOR (2003)
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini. Writers: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini. Starring Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander, James Urbaniak.
“American Splendor” brought to the screen an autobiographical comic book that a file clerk in a Veteran’s Hospital published for many years about his own life and complaints about the world. Pekar was a unique somewhat argumentative character who gained a great deal of notoriety from his appearances on David Letterman’s talk show. Those appearances would usually end with Pekar becoming increasingly perturbed with whatever Letterman had to say. Hope Davis earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role as Pekar’s wife.
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3. CINDERELLA MAN (2005)
Image Credit: Miramax/Imagine/Parkway Prods./Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: Ron Howard. Writers: Cliff Hollingsworth, Akiva Goldsman. Starring Russell Crowe, Rene Zellweger, Craig Bierko.
“Cinderella Man” was a somewhat combative production and not just in the boxing sense that the film was about. Russell Crowe was not happy with the performance of co-star Craig Bierko and was pretty vocal in letting him know about it. Crowe plays a depression era boxer who is considered to be washed up but makes a comeback which makes him a bit of a folk hero. Giamatti played his manager and received his only Oscar nomination to date as Best Supporting Actor for the role. He would lose the Oscar to George Clooney in “Syriana” but did win the SAG award for the role.
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2. THE HOLDOVERS (2023)
Image Credit: Focus Features Director: Alexander Payne. Writer: David Hemingson. Starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston.
In his first film with director Alexander Payne since their classic “Sideways,” Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, a veteran teacher at a 1970s New England prep school. His gruff demeanor makes him loathed by students and faculty alike, and there are no tears shed when he is tasked with remaining at school over winter break to look after student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) who is left behind. Along with school chef Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the trio gradually reveal the losses they’ve suffered in their lives, including Hunham who has harbored a secret of his own. It’s a funny and heartbreaking performance by Giamatti that’s among his career best.
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1. SIDEWAYS (2004)
Image Credit: Merie W. Wallace/Fox Searchlight/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Director: Alexander Payne. Writers: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor. Starring Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh.
Giamatti plays a struggling writer working as a high school teacher whose only great passion in life is his love of wine. He and his best friend embark on a trip to the California wine country where Giamatti meets a woman who shares his passion for wine. All wine that is except Merlot which he has a very vocal distain for. The film received five Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Thomas Haden Church,) Supporting Actress (Virginia Madsen), Director and Adapted Screenplay winning the last one. Giamatti though was rather shockingly left out of the race for Best Actor despite winning a number of critics awards that year.
